What the heck is "sustainable" in the first place?

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      Before we explore in more detail the sustainability of fibers, we should start with the basic idea of sustainability. This will enable us to get a good look at how widespread the influence of a product or action may be on the planet.

    

      A popular definition of sustainability comes from a 1987 UN conference where it was defined as the ability to "meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs."(http://www.arch.wsu.edu/09%20publications/sustain/defnsust.htm). It is important to note that this definition doesn't only have to do with nature, it is about humans' relationship with nature.

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The finite quality of the Earth's resources demands that humans use them responsibly. This requires several practices that haven't been incorporated well enough into the functions of human society: properly processing waste-water so that we may healthfully reincorporate it into the system of usable water; efficiently recycling plastic so that we don't let it sit in landfills and continue using more resources to manufacture more; composting organic waste to create more nutrient-rich soil rather than depleting existing soil, and other such practices that return resources to the Earth.

        When considering how fibers can be sustainable, we must remember that fibers can come from a huge variety of sources. They can come from animals the way wool does, from plants such as cotton or bamboo, from plastics the way acrylic or polyester do,  or from recycled bottles the way Patagonia fleeces do. We must consider the process of obtaining fibers from each source independent from each other before we compare them. Through initial thoughts though, it is clear that each source implies very different environmental impacts from the others. In the coming blog entries I will explore the impacts of each fiber-creation process.